BIRTHS
Copley Hospital
A daughter, Annabelle Jean Royer, was born Oct. 21, 2023, to Devin Royer and Katelin Collins, of Irasburg.
A daughter, Gracelyn Elizabeth Sheltra, was born Oct. 22, 2023, to Devin Sheltra and Jenna Bassett, of West Danville.
UVMMC
A son, Harlow Alden Hooker, was born Oct. 18, 2023, to Cassidy Hooker and Adam Mimran, of Montpelier.
AROUND TOWN
Veterans lunch
EAST MONTPELIER — Twin Valley Senior Center invites veterans for a free lunch at noon Monday, Nov. 13, to celebrate and honor your service. To RSVP by Wednesday, Nov. 8, email director@twinvalleyseniors.org or call 802-223-3322. Twin Valley Senior Center is at 4583 Route 2, East Montpelier.
Center closing
BARRE — The Barre Disaster Recovery Center at 16 Auditorium Hill will close permanently at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 9. It is currently open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday (closed Saturday and Sunday).
Arts grantee
CABOT — Cabot Arts received Vermont Community Foundation’s Spark! Connecting Community grant to present the fourth annual Cabot Village 12th Night Celebration on Jan. 5 and 6, 2024. The $4,000 grant will further Cabot Arts’ mission of enhancing Cabot quality of life by encouraging participation in meaningful, accessible and inclusive arts experiences.
Postal crime
Announced in May 2023, Project Safe Delivery is a USPS initiative to combat the recent rise in threats and attacks on letter carriers and mail theft incidents by protecting Postal employees and the security of the nation’s mail and packages.
Project Safe Delivery action includes: 600 individuals arrested in law enforcement surges completed in Chicago, San Francisco, Ohio cities; 10,000 high-security blue collection boxes installed nationwide; Ongoing replacement of antiquated arrow locks with 49,000 electronic locks; 99.3% reduction in fraudulent change of address submissions after implementation of electronic- and in-person authentication procedures; 50% reduction in counterfeit package postage in postal network due to increased controls and enforcement; Enacted regulatory changes to reflect increased monetary reward amounts for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of a perpetrator of mail crime.
Customers can take several steps to protect their mail and their letter carriers, including:
— Don’t let incoming or outgoing mail sit in your mailbox; empty it daily.
— Deposit outgoing mail through a number of secure manners, including inside your local Post Office, at your place of business, or by handing it to a letter carrier.
— Sign up for Informed Delivery and get daily digest emails that preview your mail and packages scheduled to arrive soon.
— Become involved in your neighborhood via neighborhood watches and local social media groups to spread awareness and share information.
— Keep an eye out for your letter carrier. If you see something that looks suspicious, or you see someone following your carrier, call 911.
Customers are encouraged to report stolen mail as soon as possible by submitting an online complaint to the Postal Inspection Service at www.uspis.gov/report or calling 877-876-2455. Additionally, individuals are encouraged to report allegations of Postal Service employee misconduct, including attempts to corrupt a Postal Service employee, to the USPS OIG at 888-877-7644 or www.uspsoig.gov online.
BUSINESS
Crossroads anniversary
BERLIN — Crossroads BNI, local chapter of Business Network International, is celebrating its 15th anniversary by inviting back all past members to a meeting at 8 a.m. Nov. 9 at Central Vermont Chamber of Commerce, 33 Stewart Road in Berlin. It was founded in November 2008. Today, the chapter has 15 members. Over the past decade-and-a-half, chapter members have helped one another get over $11 million in new business.
Farm grantee
BARRE — Tractor Supply Co., rural lifestyle retailer, and American Farmland Trust have awarded Amanda Andrews in Barre $10,000 for her business, Tamarack Hollow Farm. Her business specializes in growing specialty vegetables for a regional wholesaler, and she raises cattle as well. With these funds, she plans to strengthen her farm’s infrastructure with renovations that will protect her crops from extreme weather.
This award is part of a nationwide campaign where, in honor of the company’s 85th anniversary, Tractor Supply donated $850,000 to AFT’s Brighter Future Fund, which was created in 2020 to help farmers across the country start, grow and sustain farms in the face of myriad challenges, including COVID-19, severe weather and shifting markets.
New attorney
MONTPELIER — Attorney Shawn Gordon has joined the northern New England law firm Downs Rachlin Martin PLLC. He began practice in the firm’s Intellectual Property Group in mid-September. Previously, Gordon had his own practice based out of Montpelier and has experience protecting clients’ patents and trademarks. He will be based out of DRM’s Montpelier office.
AROUND VT
Candidate training
Emerge Vermont announced additional dates for its Emerge Vermont Local, a half-day training that provides skills and tools to enable Democratic women to run campaigns for school boards, select boards, city councils and village trustee boards on Town Meeting Day.
Sessions will be held from 1 to 5 p.m. unless otherwise noted: Saturday, Dec. 2, in Brattleboro; Sunday, Dec. 10, in Middlebury; noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 17, in St. Johnsbury; Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024, in Rutland.
The cost of participation is $35 per person. Registration is open for all three sessions. Visit vt.emergeamerica.org/emerge-vermont-local for more information.
VTF&W
Wildlife sightings
The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department is asking hunters to participate in its annual deer hunter effort and sighting survey. The survey asks hunters to record how many hours they hunted and how many deer, moose, bears or other wildlife they saw each day they hunted. This information helps the department evaluate how hunting pressure and the number of these animals varies around the state.
To complete the survey, use the Deer Hunting Log feature in the Vermont Outdoors mobile app. The app also includes a check station locator tool and is available through the App Store or Google Play. A web-based version of the survey will be available at www.vtfishandwildlife.com after the Nov. 11 start of the regular season.
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